Why are some people so good at small talk? Able to instantly engage with people they've just met, make their conversation partner feel at ease and like the most important person in the room? Able to seamlessly move from one conversation to another without awkwardness? It doesn't take a special gene to do those things. In fact, there are techniques and skills we can employ to help us be more confident in these situations. Stanford Business School lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams identifies best practices for spontaneous communica tion in his new book, THINK FASTER, TALK SMARTER: HOW TO SPEAK SUCCESSFULLY WHEN YOU'RE PUT ON THE SPOT (Simon & Schuster). In this excerpt from his book, Abrahams shares tips and tricks for mastering small talk.
NETWORKING AND SMALL-TALK SITUATIONS- the epitome of spontaneous speaking-make many of us cringe. Initiating and exiting these brief, informal encounters can feel incredibly awkward. During the encounters themselves, most of us feel as if we never quite know what to say and how to say it. We want to seem witty and interesting, but chatting breezily with others-whether at informal cocktail parties, corporate all-hands meetings, mixers at professional conferences, events at our kid's school or at many other gatherings-can seem like an endless verbal tennis match of spontaneous remarks, queries and feedback. It need not be this way. With some cognitive reframing, a useful structure and some specific guiding principles in hand, we can learn not just to survive small talk but to actually enjoy it.
Craft Your Content
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 29, 2023 من Newsweek US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 29, 2023 من Newsweek US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
ARABIAIN MIGHT
SAUDI ARABIA'S INCREASING STRENGTH MEANS IT NOW HAS MUCH MORE CLOUT WITH ITS PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE U.S.
Bringing Trump's Trial to Life
Sketch artist Isabelle Brourman tells Newsweek what it was like covering the former president's court case
Iran Examines the Nuclear Option
Tehran's rhetoric could spark an arms race in the Middle East like never before
Climate Conviction at What Price?
Fifty years ago experts doubted Americans would pay to save the environment. Only some of their fears are still true
Most Loved Workplaces 2024
A THE WORLD'S MOST LOVED WORKPLACES ARE REMARKABLE FOR A variety of reasons.
Maya Hawke
MAYA HAWKE WEARS MANY HATS: ACTOR, WRITER, SINGER. BUT FOR Hawke, everything comes down to words.
Jacob Anderson
ANNE RICE'S NOVEL INTERVIEW WITH THE Vampire has a rabid fan base, intensely protective of the story and any adaptations of it.
VOTES OF NO CONFIDENCE
Why recent U.K. election results will ring alarm bells for Joe Biden
BIDEN'S BATTLEGROUND ELECTION
A small number of Democrats PROTESTING the president's support for Israel's war in Gaza could PREVENT him from winning a second term
'It's Time to Treat Addiction Like Cancer'
Both are serious illnesses but, unlike those struggling with substance use disorders, didn’t face shame and stigma when seeking help over my tumors